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Ang Djana Sang Manhattan

I was told their names were Mercurochrome, Iodine and Paregoric. They were so white and they looked like the sun was going to melt them as they squinted in the daylight. I never saw them play with the neighborhood kids. I think their father was a foreigner. He owned the big band club along Lizares Avenue. I remember being awakened at four in the morning when the band marched along Libertad Street playing John Phillip Sousa. As it circled the block, the sound became faint until it finally faded.

Sometimes when our mother was already awake, we would hear her stirring in the kitchen. My sisters and I got up from bed and ran down to her. We begged her to let us get out of the house in our pajamas to watch the marching band. The day was dawning. Nanay let us walk down to the edge of the concrete driveway. The marching band was called "djana." Some days they wore their dress uniforms.

The faint light of the breaking dawn silhouetted my sisters' faces. They were talking, smiling and giggling. They shared a joke. I was too young to join. My sisters Beck, Leah and Freah were frequently together, always laughing. I remember looking up a lot.

"Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible without surrender be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story. Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time. Exercise caution in your business affairs; for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals; and everywhere life is full of heroism. Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is as perennial as the grass. Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul. With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy."